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Dr. Tim Sutterlund or Dr. Donna Wright will be named the new Wilson County Director of Schools following a final round of interviews set for Saturday, April 27.

The two candidates bested Dennis Albright, current Braxton County director of Schools in Sutton, W.Va., and David Huff, current Obion County director of Schools, during a second round of interviews by the Wilson County Board of Education and Teams, Inc. owner Wayne Qualls this past Saturday.

Wright was the first of the job finalists to take the hot seat at 9 a.m. on Saturday. She explained that being a career educator was a profession that chose me.

Career highlights include her current role as the Assistant Superintendent of Knox County Schools, where she has served for eight years; six years as the Director of High Schools in Knox County; and eight years as Principal of West High School.

Wright said her decision to apply for Wilson County Schools Director was partially due to the influence of her two grown children. They made very wise choice years ago to relocate to this area and opened a business. Wilson County is an area that I have paid attention to, she said. One thing that is attractive is the sense of community.

Sutterlund is the Assistant Director of Schools for Memphis City and Shelby County. He served as principal of 2,000-student Collierville High School for 19 years. He has also been a Vice Principal at Germantown High School from 1985 to 1988, while also serving as a classroom teacher at the school.

Sutterlund also has been employed as the Chief Transition Officer for Shelby County and Memphis City Schools since September 2012.

Qualls led the search to replace the position, which will be vacated when current Director Mike Davis leaves June 30 and moves to a position as Robertson County Director of Schools. Qualls conducted a global search in which 39 original applicants one of which was from Canada tossed their hats in the ring for a chance to land the job.

County Board of Education Chairman Don Weathers said that resumes were received from March 5-22 and narrowed down to four finalists who interviewed this past weekend. During the interviews, Qualls asked each candidate a series of 20 questions. Candidates had 5 minutes to answer the question in front of the board.

Services are pending for a Lebanon native serving in the military overseas who died while swimming in an off-base pool in South Korea.

1st Lt. Josh Hovies died Friday, April 19, according to a news release from the United States Air Forces 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office.

The news release noted that Hovies cause of death was still under investigation and that additional information would be released as it became available.

Hovies graduated in December 2010 from Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., where he attended as the recipient of a scholarship from the ROTC. Upon his graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

He was later assigned to Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, where he was training to be assigned to the Special Forces.

Family friend Pierce Dodson said Hovies was in a swimming pool off of the air base practicing underwater endurance on his own. It was not known how long Hovies was underwater before being noticed, but he apparently drowned.

We are extremely saddened by the loss of one of our finest young officers, said Col. Douglas Nikolai, 8th Fighter Wing vice commander. Our thoughts and prayers are with Lt. Hovies family and close friends.

Dodson said the Hovies family attends First Baptist Church, Lebanon. He remembered Hovies, who was 26, attended a Bible study he conducted and said he was the kind of person who makes a pretty deep impression. He was a fine young man.

Hovies was the son of Tom and Alicia Hovies of Lebanon.

Hovies and his brother, Benjamin, were featured in an article that was published in The Wilson Post on March 9, 2011. Benjamin at the time was attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., and was to graduate in June 2011 with a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps.